Ruffling attachment for sewing machines



y 1944. v. J. SIGODA 2,352,660

RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 6, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 TIIIIIIIz I I a i 34 45 g 5 7 INVENTOR. V/CT /PIJS/QODA BY M y 4- v. J. S IGODA 2,352,660

- RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 6, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

VICTOR 4/. 5/600A A T TORNEX Patented July 4, 1944 RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Victor J. Sigoda, Great Neck, N. Y.,assig norto 'Man-Sew Corp., tion of New York New Yorkflfl. Y., a corpora Application November 6, 1941, Serial No. 417,995

8 Claims. (01.- 112-134) This invention relates to rufiling or gathering attachments for sewing machines and has for its general object and purpose to provide a simpleand comparatively inexpensive attachment of this character, readily applicable to sewing machines of well known standard makes and which embodies certain practical improvements resulting in important advantages in the use and operation of the attachment disclosed in Patent No. 2,245,877 issued June 17, 1941, to Man-Sew Pinking Attachment Corp.

It is a more particular object of this invention to provide a new mounting and arrangement of the oscillatory rufiling blade with respect to the vertically reciprocating needle of the sewing machine so that the operator is afforded a clear and unobstructed vision of the work as it is fed to the sewing machine presser foot. To this end, the invention is essentially characterized by the mounting and arrangement of the guide for the material to be rufiled at the rear side of the presser foot together with the oscillatory ruflling blade which cooperates with said guide to form the ruilles or folds and feed the same through an opening in the presser foot to the base fabric in position to be stitched to the latter by the vertically reciprocating needle.

It is also an additional object of the invention to provide improved actuating means for the rufiling blade including certain relatively adjustable Darts wherebythe movement of the blade may be regulated or controlled to produce contrastingly variegated sections of milling and a finished product of novel and. ornamental design.

With-the above and other objects in view, the invention comprises the improved ruflling attachment for sewing machines as well as the form, construction and relative arrangement of itsseveral parts, as will hereinafter be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In thedrawings wherein I have disclosed one simple and practical embodiment of the invention and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a front side elevation of a sewing machine having my improved attachment applied thereto, the housing means for a part of the oper- Fig. 3 is a top plan view partly broken away and partly in section.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation showing the variable speed operating means for the miller actuating mechanism. 1

. Fig. 5 is a view, similar to Fig. 2, showing the rufliing blade at the end of its forward .rufile forming stroke.

v Fig. 6 is a detail vertical sectionthrough the sewing machine presser footwitnthe ruflling blade in the position of Fig. 5. v

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

of rufliing blade used in connection with the zigzag sewing machine.

Fig. 9 is a similar View of another form of blade used in connection with a two-needle sewing machine. Fig. 10 shows the ruflling blade as used in connection with a single needle sewing machine, and

v Fig. 11 is a plan view illustrating ruflling as executed by the machine in sections of variegated design.

Referring in detail to the drawings in which I have illustrated a well known zigzag type of sewing machine, 5 indicates the usual hollow arm extending horizontally in one direction from the upper end of a' hollow vertical pedestal 6 which is integrally formed with or suitably mounted upon the machine bed plate 1'. The other end of the arm 5 is provided'with the usu'alfguidehead 8 for the vertically reciprocating needle bar 9 carried by the laterally vibratory frame 10 mounted in the usual manner at its upper end within the guide head 8 and actuated by the pitman bar ll through suitable operating connections with the main shaft ll of the sewing machine which extends through the arm5. One end of this shaft is operatively' connected by any conventional means (not shown), with the needlebar 9, said shaft at its other end having the usual belt wheel l3 for connection with a. suitable driving motor.

In applying the presentattachment, the usual face plate closing the end of the guide head 8 is removed and the'housing M which encloses a part of the actuating means for the runfiling blade is substituted therefor. This housing and said actuating means are similar to that shown in the above-referred to issued patent and includes the shaft l5 suitably mounted in the lower front end of said housing and projecting atone of its ends from the inner side thereof. Within the housing, the lower end of a lever I6 is rigidly attached to the shaft 15 and extends upwardly carried by Y the arm 22.

therefrom, the upper end portion of said lever having a longitudinal slot receiving the adjustable slide block l3 which is also slidably mounted upon the rod l9 having a fixed connection at one of its ends with one end of a shaft 2E] journaled in the inner side wall of said housing. As shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, this shaft extends longitudinally along the rear side of the arm 5 and is operatively connected at its other end with the main shaft of the machin by a variable speed mechanism through which rocking motion is transmitted to said shaft, and which will be hereafter more fully referred to. V

The means for adjusting the slide block l8 along lever l6 and rod l9 and'with relation to the axis of the shaft 21!, whereby the oscillating motion of the shaft I5 is controlled, .is alsoquite similar to that shown in the issued patent and comprises the shaft 2| journaled at one end in the inner side wall of the housing Hi and oper- 1.;

ated by a treadle or other suitable manually operable means. Within the housing the arm 22 is fixed to said shaft at one end and connected at its other end by means of the link 23 with the slide block |8. A coiled wire spring 24 on the shaft 2| has one of its ends bearing'downwardly on the arm 22 and the other end-in contact with the top wall of the housing hi. The arm '22 is moved upwardly against the action of the spring 24 to adjust the slide block I 8 towards the upper end of slot ll bymeans of a-rod 25 having a loop blade.

At the rear side'of the frame l0 and needle bar 9, the usual-presser foot-bar 28 is vertically movable inthe guide head 8 'and'has'the presser foot 29 attached to the lower end thereof. As shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, this'presser foot includes the horizontal portion 30 having the upwardly inclinedtoe 3| atits forward end. At its rear end the part 30 is integrally formed with the vertically extending shank '32. Upon the upwardly and rearwardly inclined bracket mem-- ber 33 attached to the rear side of the shank 32 the rectangular tubular guide 34 for the braid or tape to be ruffled is rigidly fixed, the lower end of said guide being positioned in the upper end of the opening 35 formed in said shank.

To the front side of the shank 32 of the presser foot a downwardly inclined plate 36 is fixed at its upper end, said plate at its lower end terminating immediately above the opening 31 in the horizontal part '30 of the presser foot and closely adjacent to the path of movement of the reciprocating needle 38. I

Upon the lower rear end of the housing M at the inner side thereof, the downwardly andrearwardly extending arm 39 is pivotally mounted at Mi. A lever 4| is adjustably connected at its upper end with said arm by meansofa threaded pin or stud 42 fixed to said lever and movable in a slot 43 provided in thearm 39. A nut threaded on the pin 42 adjustably clamps the upper end in Fig. 8.

is'rigidly fixed and is connected by means of link ll to the forward end of a link 43, the rear end of which is pivotally connected at "59 with a second arm 39 fixed to the pivot pin or rod 40. Link s? is also adjustably connected with arm 46 by the pin5|l movable in slot 5| in said arm and having a clamping nut threaded thereon. Thus the pivotal connection 52 between the links 41 and 38 may be variably positioned relative to the axis of shaft I5 to provide a further adjustment of the stroke or throw of the rufliing blade flfi. By adjusting the lever il relative to arm 39, the angle of the blade is changed and the energy stored in the spring regulated to change the pressure of the forward end of the blade against the material, as may be required for different kinds'of fabrics and in order to insure a desired form of the folds or ruffles as they are fed to the needle 38 and upon the work in the operation of said rufiling blade.

As will be noted from reference to Fig. 6, the ruflling blade has free movement through the opening 35 in the presserfoot shank and its forward end is yieldingly urged upwardly against the inner surface of the plate 36. Of course, the

machine is equipped with the usual feed mechanism, apart of which is indicated at E, which intermittently feeds the base fabric 'B beneath the presser foot. Thereforetne tape orbraid T stitched to said fabric will be drawn through the guide 34 in the intermittent movements .of The forward end of the rufiling blade moving downwardly, in cooperation with the plate 36, engages and forms a fold T in said tape which is projected through the opening3'l in the presser foot and upon the upper surface .of the base fabric.

Asshown in Fig. v8, the ruflling blade fl is formed at its forward end with the spaced notches or recesses 53 which alternately receive the needle 38 in its downward strokes in the vibratory .motion .of the frame l0. Preferably,

the endedges of the blade 4.5 atoppositesides of the slots .53are serrated or toothed asat 54 to secure a gripping engagement with the. tape or braid T.

The ruffling. blade shownin Fig.9 is used in connection with thetwo-needle sewing vmachineignd is also provided at its forwardendwith thespacefl slots or recesses-53, which are somewhat more widely spaced apart than the notches .53 .shown The ruffling blade shown :in Fig. 10 to be used in a single needle sewing 'machinelis provided with a single central needle receiwing slot 53a.

While the power transmission shaft =21! lf-or the ruffler actuating mechanism might be operatively connected with the sewing. machine gneedle ,bar substantially as illustrated .in the issued patent above referred to, Iv preferably. provide-a variable speed operating mechanism for said shaft. The .latter, however, is not hereincla-imed'asit forms the subject matter of my pending. application for patent, Ser. No. 378,509, filed February lfl, .1941. It will, therefore, suffice for the purpose of this explanation to state that this mechanism is arranged'at the right-hand end'of'the sewing machine and is enclosed within asuitabl housing 55 supported upon the-machine pedestal said that as-the oscillatory ruffiing blade, and .the

braid or tape guide is mounted entirely at the rear of the needle bar 9, the operator has a clear andunobstructed vision of the needle and presser foot of the machine and of the base fabric B, as

it is fed rearwardly beneath said presser foot. By the provision of the additional adjustable connection between the rufliing blade and the operating shaft 15 therefor, the movements of the 'blade'may' be further controlled and changed so as to produce various different designs of the ruffles or folds, or variegated sections of continuous ruffling. applied to a'base fabric, as indicated in Fig. 11 of the drawings. Thus at the left in this figure, the section E is composed of rufiies or folds which are relatively wide and provide a discontinuous end edge of each fold across the width of the tape. The ratio is 1 to 1 with maximum feed movement. The intermediate section D consists of comparatively narrow folds or ruflles, the transverse edges of which are con- 5 tinuous. The ratio is 4 to 1 with a short feed movement. The right hand section C has rufiles of an intermediate width With longer feed movement and a ratio of 2 to 1. Of course, it is also possible, by making the proper adjustments to 3 produce further variations in the width and form of the individual ruffles, and also to provide an unruffled section, without stopping the operation of the machine by shifting the slide block l8 into coaxial relation with the shaft 20. It will thus be seen that I have made important practical improvements in the attachment of the issued patent whereby the eihciency and commercial utility of such attachments is materially enhanced.

In the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, I have disclosed an embodiment of the invention, which in actual practical operation has given excellent results. However, it is to be understood that such disclosure is largely illustrative and that the essential features of the present invention which characterizes its novelty may also be incorporated in various other structural forms. Accordingly, the privilege is reserved of resorting to all such legitimate changes in the form, construction and arrangement of the various ele- 1 ments as may fairly be comprehended within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a sewing machine includin a vertically reciprocating needle and. a presser foot having a work engaging part provided with an opening; rufiling mechanism comprising means for folding the material to be rufiied, said means including a movable blade having one of its ends positioned above said part of the presser I foot for movement into and out of said opening, and a fixed member carried by the presser foot and positioned above said opening and with which said end of the blade cooperates in its movement in one direction to fold said material downwardly throughitheropening of the .presser; foot and in directly superimposed position upon the work. 2. In-combination with a, sewing machine .in-

cluding axvertically reciprocatingneedle and a presserifoot havinga work engaging part provided with an opening; .rufllinggmechanism comprisingmeans for foldingthe material .to be rufiied, said means includinga movable bladehaviing one of its ends positioned above said part of the presser foot for movement into and out of said opening, a fixed member carried by the presser foot and positioned above said opening and with which said end of the blade cooperates in its movement in one direction to fold said material downwardly through the openingof the presser foot and'in directlysuperimposed position upon the work, and means carried by the presser foot for feeding the material to be ruflied between said fixed member and the movable ruilling blade.

3. In combination with a sewing machine including a vertically reciprocatingneedle and a presser foot having work engaging and vertical shank portions each provided with an opening; ruining mechanism comprising a willing blade operatively mounted rearwardly of the presser foot, extending forwardly through the opening in saidshank portion and having its forward end positioned for movement into and out of the opening in the work engaging portion of the presser foot, a member carried by the presser foot with which said end of the blade cooperates in its forward movement to fold the material to be ruffled downwardly through said latter opening and in directly superimposed position upon the work, and additional means carried by the presser foot for directing said material between said member and the rufiling blade.

4. In combination with a sewing machine including a vertically reciprocating needle and a eratively connecting presser foot having work engaging and vertical shank portions each provided with an opening; rufiling mechanism comprising a rufliing blade operatively mounted rearwardly of the presser foot, extending forwardly through the opening in said shank portion and having its forward end positioned for movement into and out of the opening in the work engaging portion of the presser foot, a member carried by the presser foot with which said end of the blade cooperates in its forward movement to fold the material to be ruffled downwardly through said latter opening and in directly superimposed position upon the work, and a member mounted on the rear side of the presser foot shank to receive and direct the material to be ruilled through the opening therein and position the same relative to the end of the rufiiing blade and said cooperating member.

5. In combination with a sewing machine including stitch forming mechanism; rufiiing mechanism comprising a movable rufiiing blade, actuating means for said blade including a rock shaft and means for operating said shaft in timed relation with the stitch forming mechanism, a lever pivotally supported at its upper end, means opone end of the rufiling blade with the lower end of said lever, an arm fixed to said rock shaft, pivotally connected relatively movable links, means pivotally connecting one of said links with said lever, and means adjustably connecting the other of said links with said arm to variably space the pivotal connection between said links from said rock shaft and regulate the extent of oscillating motion of said lever and the ruflling blade.

6. In combination with a sewing machine including stitchiformingmechanism ruffling ;mechanism =.and :actuating means therefor including a rock shaf-t and :means for operating -said shaft inztimed relation with the stitchfforming mechanism, a pair offlspaced apartrarms rigidly .zconnected atone of ;their zends tov a common pivot :rod, means operatively connecting the .rock: shaft with one i of said arms, a movable ruffling :blade, a lever 'pivotall-yconnectedat one-.of iitsends to one en'd of said .blade,:a spring resisting pivotal movement of the blade inone direction, "a fixed member-towards which the other end of 'theblade -is yieldingly urged by said spring to engage and -fold the-material to "be ruffled, and means connecting said lever at its other end with the other of *said arms -for lengthwise adjustment of the lever'relative to said arm tochange the angle of the rufiiing bladerelativeto the lever and said fixed member and vary the energ stored I in said spring-whereby the pressure of the'rufiling-blade againstthe material is-regula'ted.

'7. -'In combinationwith' a-sewing machine presser -f0ot having a vertical shank portion and a horizontal *work engaging portion, each provided with an'opening, ruflling mechanism including a ru'filing blade operatively mounted behind the presser foot for reciprocation throughtheopening in' 'thepresserfoot shank, anda fi-Xedmember mesa-sen downwardly inclined from the front side =-of :said shank {and terminating closely adjacent to :the opening :in :said work engaging portionof the resser afoot, said blade cooperating with said member tolformrafold in the material to.be ruflled and direct the same-downwardly through .the latteropeninginto directly superimposed position upon the 'work.

8. In combination withia sewing machine presser -foot having-a vertical. shank ,portion and a horizontalkwork engaginglportion, each provided with an opening,.rufilingmechanism including a rufiling 'blade operatively mounted behind the presser :tootforzreciprocation through the opening in thepresser footvshank, a fixed member downwardly inclinedzfrom the front side of said shank and terminating :closely adjacent to the opening in said-work engaging portion ,ofthe presser foot, said blade cooperating with said member to form a rfold in the material to be ruflled and direct the same downwardly through the latter opening vinto directly superimposed position uponuthe work, and means mounted upon therear side=of the presser foot shank to direct the .material through the opening therein and position the same relative .to saidfixed member for engagement by the ruffling-blade.

VICTOR J. SIGODA. 

